Acoustic wave generating apparatus
First Claim
1. A discharge device for producing a substantially unidirectional high-energy acoustic wave, comprising:
- an insulator formed of hard heat-resistant material having a small-diameter axial bore having two ends formed therein, the first end of which is open,a first annular-shaped electrode surrounding and positioned at the open first end of said bore,a second electrode disposed in a position to close the second end of said bore,conductor means for coupling said first and second electrodes across terminals of a source of voltage adapted to be rapidly charged and discharged, andmeans for periodically forming an ionized path in said bore between said first and second electrodes, the ionized path resulting in the rapid electrical discharge of the source of voltage and the production of the substantially unidirectional high-energy acoustic wave from said open first end of said bore.
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Accused Products
Abstract
Apparatus for non-destructively inspecting for faults in or beneath the surface of structures, such as debonds or delaminations in composite materials, or cracks, broken stringers, delaminations and the like in semi-monocoque structures, includes at least one spark gap discharge device displaced from the test object which focuses an acoustic pulse onto a small local area of the object for vibrationally exciting the surface of that area. A laser Doppler camera system, also displaced from the test object directs a laser beam onto the excited area and derives from light energy reflected back from the excited area the velocity of out-of-surface displacement of, and relaxation frequencies generated by, the surface of the excited area and provides an indication of whether a fault is present in that area. Acoustic pulses and the laser beam are directed to successive local areas in synchronism according to a scanning pattern, at each of which the reflected light energy is analyzed, following which the acquired data is processed and visually displayed in a manner which clearly indicates the presence of a fault and its location and enables the operator to further analyze the data to ascertain the type and extent of the fault.
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Citations
10 Claims
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1. A discharge device for producing a substantially unidirectional high-energy acoustic wave, comprising:
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an insulator formed of hard heat-resistant material having a small-diameter axial bore having two ends formed therein, the first end of which is open, a first annular-shaped electrode surrounding and positioned at the open first end of said bore, a second electrode disposed in a position to close the second end of said bore, conductor means for coupling said first and second electrodes across terminals of a source of voltage adapted to be rapidly charged and discharged, and means for periodically forming an ionized path in said bore between said first and second electrodes, the ionized path resulting in the rapid electrical discharge of the source of voltage and the production of the substantially unidirectional high-energy acoustic wave from said open first end of said bore. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
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Specification